Designing and implementing cultural change, either in an advisory capacity as part of an internal team or leading the team

Facilitating team meetings or 'awaydays' to solve live business issues, whilst introducing new practices and observations to enable the team to work more effectively, faster

Researching what's really happening in all or any part of your organisation to establish priorities for change.

Designing and delivering Leadership Development programmes which drive the business goals of the organisation as well as individual development

Working 1:1 with an executive who needs some additional help with day to day leadership issues. This could involve workshadowing to provide advice and guidance in real time in the workplace – ‘just in time’ behavioural observation and coaching

Organisational Change                                                                                                back to top


People Initiatives has considerable experience in cultural change – not just as consultants but within the organisations themselves. We know how difficult the process can be; from selling the concept internally, obtaining the necessary budgets, to dealing with the more cynical members of the workforce (including executive team at times) as well as those just determined to see the initiative fail. Then it all has to happen. It’s an exhausting process but at least you’ll know that we understand what you’re having to go through and are there to support and help you through it.

Our approach is based upon aligning the organisation. Quite simply, this means ensuring your Vision is supported by the strategy and culture, these in turn are supported by goals, objectives and tasks, and values, practices and behaviours. At the same time, all the internal systems and processes, i.e. the infrastructure, have to support everything you want to achieve.

And if it doesn’t support the bottom line for your stakeholders, then what are you doing it for anyway?


What we do believe is that if your employees don’t see visible evidence of change within 3 months, then it isn’t working.

People Initiatives can help you in a number of ways.

• Advisory – as part of a knowledgeable internal team when you need that external perspective to support and/or challenge as you go through the process, and to provide additional expertise and manpower

• Lead – lead a team comprising both internal staff and external consultants, gradually transferring knowledge internally and creating independence

• Audit – as an independent body, we can find out through interviews, focus groups and surveys just how well you’re doing at any stage of the process – before starting to provide your ‘stake in the ground’ and/or at the end of any phase of the programme. Any recommendations we make are dedicated to the achievement of the Business Plan by delivering the strategy.

For large scale projects, we work closely with Vector Europe Business Consultants, who have a wealth of experience in change programmes within different industries during their 16 year history. www.vectoreurope.co.uk.

Team Development                                                                                                      back to top

People Initiatives’ approach to team development uses real teams to solve live business issues. Whether it be a new strategy, or problem resolution, we help teams work together more effectively on a critical need for the business to achieve its goals.

How can we help

We can help teams in a number of ways:

• Work through a programme with dysfunctional teams where real conflict exists
• Facilitate team meetings or 'awaydays'/conferences
• Help individuals within a team understand their role and integrate better

Team Programme

The benefits of this programme are 3 fold:

• The team solves a business issue, whilst
• Learning and practising effective team behaviours, and
• Increasing their own self awareness and the impact on others

Because the team is real, and solving something required for the business, development is focussed on making the business and the team more effective

The programme can also be run within the framework of client Corporate Values and Leadership Capabilities.

What does it involve?

Most team events should be held off site, and is followed up by the facilitator observing 2 team meetings in the workplace over the next 4 weeks, with a short off site session after one month and 3 months. Pre-session interviews take place with all team members to identify the tensions or concerns that may exist, and also to clarify expectations of the team and the event itself. Interviews also take place again prior to the first follow up session to check progress.

During the programme, team members will learn more about their own individual style and behaviour and also its impact both in relation to the team, but also personally for their own development. Using these and other facilitated inputs and practices, the team works through the business issue to resolution.

Organisational Diagnostics                                                                                           back to top

Understanding what’s really going on in your organisation should be the starting point for everything you do before you start any process of change.

Accurate diagnostics of where your organisation is, is imperative since future action will be based upon what is found. Using People Initiatives to carry out some, if not all of the research, will mean people are less likely to say what they think you want to hear, and more likely to tell it how it is.

Through a combination of interviews, focus groups, documentation review and workplace observation, we can help you identify the enablers and barriers to the success of your project, in the following areas:

External Environment 
Management
Leadership  People
Policies/Procedures 
Products/Services
Objectives

Strategy/Goals
Mission/Vision
Management Practices
Work Processes
Climate
Workplace Environment

Structure
Values
People
Measures
Systems
Results

Gathering current data on any part of your organisation’s situation as perceived by its functions and people, is critical to subsequent decisions and action. It can clarify organisational intent and direction, and capture information about the ‘real organisation’s’ alignment with that direction – its values and beliefs (espoused and actual) as well as factors that help and factors that hinder desired performance. It can also assess the effectiveness of the organisation’s infrastructure – systems, policies, procedures and processes – in supporting the organisation’s strategy.

A diagnosis should lead to the identification and prioritisation of key business issues challenging your organisation and provide specific recommendations on the most cost effective means to resolve them. The end result is a detailed road map of how to get from where you are to where you need to be.
 

Leadership Capability Development                                                                             back to top

Leadership today is about delivering the bottom line through uncertain times. It’s about doing more with less and with increasingly complex and less hierarchical organisations, leadership is often about driving performance, often without directly controlling the resource.

Our bespoke programmes are designed based on the following principles:

• The client organisation’s business goals are the main anchors and measures

• A fit between the style/experience of the programme and the organisational culture

• Take Aways – practical tools that can be taken away from the programme for immediate use back in the workplace

Programmes will generally take the basics of high performance leadership and apply them directly to business goals. They are tailored to achievement of individual organisational strategies using proven leadership and management capabilities such as:

• Performance Management (setting and monitoring goals, rewarding and tackling poor performance)

• Communication (Clarity and frequency of message, as well as feeling comfortable speaking with customers, peers, staff)

• Delivery (achieving results; overcoming obstacles; managing risk)

• Working Relationships (cross functional working; teambuilding and team working; building alliances)

• Inspiring Others (Creating positive energy and confidence)

• Thinking (Generating ideas, problem solving)

• Planning (Competitor & customer awareness; contingencies)

Programmes are designed and delivered to suit the need, style and culture of your organisation. They can be modular or intensive, with participants able to implement new techniques immediately on their return to work – techniques designed to focus on what’s important to the achievement of business results.

It’s also about measuring success and key to this is the use of regular business and individual performance feedback, particularly using 360° instruments which are specifically designed to reflect organisational goals, values and behaviour. We can use a client’s existing 360° tool, or provide our own which can be used on an ongoing basis for participants to check progress against those areas critical to them for success, as well as bi-annually over all capabilities. Use of a 360° instrument also increases the levels of self awareness, essential for behavioural change to occur.

Understanding the Organisation

What we know is that the style of the programme and the experience participants feel, have to be linked to the culture of the organisation, for it to become something they can identify with and apply the learnings in the workplace.

In order to build a tailored programme, it is critical that we understand the organisation’s business strategy and goals, as well as the real culture that drives its success. All our programmes are therefore preceded by a period inside the organisation, validating published direction as well as any recent cultural surveys, or conducting interviews and focus groups where none exist.

Only by truly understanding the organisation’s direction and culture, can a programme be developed and implemented that makes a real difference to individual and organisational performance.
 

1:1 Executive Development                                                                                           back to top

This is an individually tailored development programme, typically designed for Senior Executives who:

• Are too busy to attend an off site development programme

• Need to hone their Leadership Skills

• Where focus on behavioural change will deliver significant improvement to business performance

As with all PI activities, this intensive programme draws on achievement of the organisation’s business goals as the primary focus, but links into the frameworks of Company Values and Management Capabilities/Competencies – either organisationally specific or generic. Alternatively, it can be used to prepare an individual for a significant new role , or tackle a specific development need.

What will it do?

Because the activity takes place as the executive goes about his or her normal business, the feedback and guidance is immediate and change is rapid and focussed directly on what is relevant to the executive achieving business goals.

What does it Involve?

This programme involves workshadowing, whereby we spend time observing the executive’s behaviour and activities throughout his or her normal working day, and providing feedback and help in changing the behaviour in line with pre-determined organisation or individual expectations.

We use a number of feedback mechanisms to help the executive understand both the reasons for the impact of their behaviour on others, and also to use it positively, combining observation, 360° and psychometric instruments. These can either be done specifically or we can use those recently completed as part of a broader initiative. Alternatively 360° feedback can be obtained via interviews, rather than an online survey to determine the live perceptions of the executive.

Follow ups in line with organisational and individual requirements, take place over the next 3 months to ensure the right level of support is provided for change to be sustained. A further workshadow, 3 months after the initial activity, is carried out to check progress. In addition, the executive is encouraged to contact us at any time for help or guidance.

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